PMP Today

It’s officials, the tech-hungry Canadians will have their own iPhone, thanks to a deal struck by Rogers Wirless with Apple. Rogers refused to release information on pricing and availability, though they promise to do it so later in the year. “We’re thrilled to announce that we have a deal with Apple to bring the iPhone to Canada later this year. We can’t tell you any more about it right now, but stay tuned,” said Ted Rogers, CEO of the company. It’s not as if a Rogers iPhone isn’t a forgone conclusion but I’m sure the official word is a relief in many Canadian’s mind.

In fact, the official announcement did not even merit a statement of its own from Rogers. It came as one of the announcement in a financial report release by Rogers today, the number four item in the 2008 highlights of the wireless company. Canadians, no doubt, are ecstatic. Savvier Canadians worry that as usual they will be paying a high premium compared to their counterparts down the border.

[via cellphones]

Apple sent a short letter announcing that the 8GB capacity iPhone and iPod Touch has reached end-of-life status in the U.K. There are no more stocks online and only a few units left in stores. This heralds the new iPhone with 3G connectivity rumored to be announced in June. Apple may also be deliberately phasing out lower-capacity iPhones. As you may know, Apple is quite the game-changer and their idea of high-capacity phones reminds us of their strategy on the MP3 market. BBC reports that iPhone, along with Sony Ericsson, has lost market share this quarter. Apple will be expediting new releases on their handset line to gain back their leadership in the smartphone market.

[via engadget, bbc]

Gizmodo doesn’t say the photo of the shiny black rear of the iPhone 3G was a hoax, not exactly. What they said what it was mistaken for the iPhone 3G, which Engadget claims has a shiny and black rear. At any rate, even if the iPhone 3G had a black and shiny back, it wouldn’t look like the photo above, which, as it turns out, is just a protective plastic. The shiny, black back isn’t totally off the table and neither is the GPS and the other stuff rumored about the iPhone.

[via gizmodo]

More from analysts. Citi analysts Richard Gardner and Yeechang Lee, the 3G iPhone will only be one of a series of very impressive Apple products (honestly, we’re more interested in this news). The old 2.5G iPhone will change slightly, specifically on the exterior and will be priced lower, somewhere between the $299 and $349, probably for all models. More promising news: Apple sold more iPhones in the quarter than they expected and demand is actually brisk, too brisk for the supply in stores. It’s about time the lineup is freshened up.

[pcworld via crunchgear]

Apple may have finally given up on their lucrative business model for the iPhone in exchange for better market share. A rumor yes, but no ordinary rumor, coming from a major Italian publication, La Repubblica. In addition, 3G iPhone will no longer be exclusive - well, they may start as exclusive but it may end for a certain period of time, at which point users can switch networks. I hope I’m reading the Italian article correctly.

[repubblica via cellphones]

Adding 3G on the iPhone may just be the ticket to make the Apple device a genuine hit in Europe. But here’s another rumor that suggests Apple would do more than just add 3G on iPhone 2.0. Whether this QWERTY iPhone is just one model of an entire line of iPhones Apple has been rumored to be preparing we’re nevertheless astounded that Apple may finally succumb to the tactile temptation. Some sources say that Apple have already tasked suppliers to produce 200,000 of the new iPhones by the end of May and by June Apple will have 2 million 3G iPhones ready to ship. The WWDC will probably be the venue for the official announcement.

Take the QWERTY iPhone poll after the break.

[via crunchgear] Read the rest »

Our friends at GenerationMP3 have it on good authority that Orange France has already seen iPhone 2.0 a.k.a iPhone 3G. In fact, Orange is testing the device right now. Launching coming soon.

Even better rumors have come CrunchGear’s way. Their source says that Apple is going to announce an entire line of iPhones or Apple Phones. There will a basic Apple Phone model that will be called iPhone Shuffle will be offered. This basic Apple phone will retain the screen size of current the current iPhone but will do away with features like video playback. This phone will only be 6.2mm thick and will make do of 4GB of memory. With a $159 price tag, who can complain, especially if it can be bought unlocked.

Another interesting rumor has something to do with an enterprise-friendly iPhone. It will be called iPhone Pro or iPhone Max and will feature three times the battery capacity of the current model. It will be 3G and come in a thicker casing. To cap it all up, GMP3’s source indicated the next-generation iPod Touch will have 3G connectivity as well as GPS. Wow!

[gmp3, crunchgear via cellphones]

Another very interesting iPhone rumor. Apple to add Broadcom GPS chip on the 3G iPhone. For Apple fans that have always complained about the lack of 3G and GPS on the iPhone, now is their chance to finally shut up and just buy the new iPhone when it comes out. And did I forget to mention third-party software?

[via navigadget]

The latest word on the unannounced iPhone 3G is that a 32GB version will be available for the price of the original 8GB. Yes folk, for $599, still cheaper than many smartphones, you can get the maximum amount of storage for a handset. The 8GB and 16GB iPhone 3G will be available in $399 and $499. The new iPhone will also be 2.5mm thinner, perhaps due to the adoption of an OLED screen.

[via cellphones]

Simplify Media lets you take your music collection with you anywhere you go. Sounds like an old advert for the portable media player, but it’s quite literally what Simplify Media does. Now, even a 32GB iPod Touch does not offer enough storage for your entire music collection, but with Simplify Media, any WiFi HotSpot would give you access to your Mac or PC at home. Simplify Media supports Winamp and iTunes and WMA, MP3, AAC and Apple Lossless.

[via gmp3]